Guide to 2009 APA Style

Academic Writing Program

Woodbury University

What is APA?

APA stands for the American Psychology Association

It establishes guidelines for written communication concerning citation format, the

organization of content, and writing style in certain disciplines, such as those in Business

and Social Sciences.

General APA Format: APA Research Paper

APA establishes guidelines for in-text citations that refer the reader to a list of references.

There are two formats for APA: Research Paper and Paper prepared for publication. In

this handout, we will focus on the APA format for Research Paper.

A paper written in the APA format includes the following: A cover page, an abstract, the

body of the essay, and a References page.

An in-text citation gives the following information: the author of the source, often in a

single phrase, the year of publication, and, at times, a page number in parentheses,

especially when a quote is used/cited.

At the end of the paper, a list of references, arranged in alphabetical order according to

the author’s last names, provides publication information for the sources, such as the

author, the year, the title of the publication, its DOI (digital object identifier) or the URL

when available.

Basic APA Format:

Margins: 1 inch on all sides

Font: 12 Point/Times New Roman

Space: Double Spacing throughout, no extra space between paragraphs

Alignment: Flush left

Pagination: Page number on upper right corner of each page

APA In-Text Citations:

Information from all sources must be cited in paper.

Citations in the body of the paper need to provide at least the author’s name and the

year of publication. For direct quotations, provide the page number such as this (p. 13).

Ordinarily, introduce the source with a signal phrase with the author’s last name and the

year of the publication, and, if quoting, the page number in parentheses at the end of the

quotation, followed by a period.

o Johnson and Smith (2009) reported that “the current state of the nation’s spending

is not sustainable” (p. 19).

If the author is not named in the sentence, place the author’s name and the year in the

parentheses like this (Johnson and Smith, 2009, p. 19).

Work with two authors: Name both authors’ names each time the source is mentioned

or cited.

o According to Gordon and Matzen (2010), “BP’s oil spill in the Gulf of Mexico

will entail at least another one decade or two of cleaning up and law suits” (p. 24).

Work with three to five authors: Indentify all authors in the signal phrase or in the

parentheses the first time the source is mentioned. In subsequent citations, use the first

author’s name, followed by “et al.”

o In 2009, Matzen, McCutheon, and Chu claimed, “Without proper academic

writing skills, students tend to fall behind in their studies in the first two years of

their college” (p. 123). As Matzen et al (2009) advised, “the best time for college

students to take writing classes is during the first two years of their studies” (p.

145).

Work with six or more authors: Use the first author’s name, followed by “et al” in the

signal phrase or parentheses.

Author unknown: Mention the title of the work in the signal phrase, or use the first or

two words in the title in parentheses. Companies like BP have been cited for more than

700 safety violations, prior to the spill in the Gulf of Mexico (“BP Spill,” 2010).

Two or more works in the same parentheses: Sometimes, it is necessary to draw

references from multiple studies in one sentence. Put them in the same order appeared in

the References page. Follow this format in the parentheses when you do: (Matzen et al,

2009; Smith, 2008).

Organization/government agency as author: Name the organization in the signal

phrase or in the parenthetical citation.

Electronic Source: When citing electronic source, when possible, give the author’s name

and the year, as you would with any other source.

o When no author is named, mention the title of the source in the signal phrase or

give the first word or two of the title in the parentheses: Over-fishing has created

a serious threat to the health of the oceans’ ecosystem (“Over-Fishing,” 2009).

o When the publication date is unknown, use “n.d.” like this (Matzen, n.d.).

o No page numbers: When an electronic source lacks stable numbered pages,

include information that will help the reader locate the passage cited, like this

(Johnson, para. 6).

o Electronic files in portable document format (PDF), give the page number in the

parenthetical citation.

APA References (Bibliographic Entries)

In APA style, the alphabetical list of works cited, which appeared at the end of the paper,

is called “References.” It needs to be arranged by authors’ last names. If a work has

no author, alphabetize it by its title. All authors’ names are inverted, and initials only

are used for all first and middle names.

The date of the publication appears immediately, in parentheses, after the first

element of the citation—be it the author’s name, an organization, or the title of the

source.

Single author: (remember to double space your entries) Only the first letter of the first

word is capitalized for the book title and the subtitle. The title of the book needs to be in

italics.

Last Name, First Initial. (Year). Title of the book: Subtitle if any. City: Publisher.

Matzen, R. (2009). Most effective writing strategies: A writing director’s reflection from

the frontline. Chicago: Justice Publishing.

Multiple authors: List up to seven authors by last names followed by initials. Use &

before the name of the last author. (Remember to double space the following entry.)

Matzen, R., Soloman, J., & Smith, M. (2009). Student engagement in an advancement

writing class. The Journal of Writing Administrators, 142, 303-320.

[The above entry is an article from a journal. Please note that the article is not

italicized, but the title of the journal is. Volume number and the page numbers are

also required.]

Organization as author: Remember to double space the following entry. Pay close

attention to the period that ends each entity and italics for the book title:

The organization, (Year). Title of the book (edition.). City: Publisher.

American Business Leader Association. (1999). Organizational leadership in the age of

globalization (5th

ed.). Washington, DC: Aspiration Publishing.

Unknown author: Begin the entry with the work’s title.

Order in a digitalized office. (2008, March 15). The Economist, 386(867), 86-92.

[The above entry is an article from a journal whose author is unknown. The title is

followed by the Year, then the date, of the publication, in parentheses. Please note

that the title of the article is not italicized, but the title of the journal, The

Economist, is. Volume number, issue number, and the page numbers are also

required, separated by commas.]

Two or more works by the same author. Use the author’s name for all entries. List the

entries by year, the earliest first.

Barry. J. (2005, December 9). Inspiring non-English majors to write. College English, 73,

345-366.

Barry. J. (2007, March 27). Inspiring business majors to write [Web log message].

Retrieved from http://blogs.businessworldtoday.com/blog/business-write

Article in a journal, magazine, or newspaper: In the parentheses that follow the author,

use only the year for journal articles; year+month for magazine articles, and

year+month+day for newspaper articles. See the examples below. Remember to double

space the entries.

Cantos, A. (2008). Teacher’s reflection on teaching writing in a private university. The

Journal for Teaching Professionals, 142, 34-38.

McKibben, B. (2007, October). The rise and fall of cap and trade. National Geographic,

212(4), 33-37.

Soloman, M. (2008, November 24). Deep in the jungle and forest: Using nature writing

to inspire critical thinking. The New York Times, p. D5.

Review. In brackets, after the author and title of the review, give the type of work, the

title, and the author for a book or the year for a motion picture.

Smith, J. (2010, February 13). A documentary that matters [Review of the motion picture

Food, Inc, 2010]. The New York Times, p. E8.

Book with an editor.

Matzen, R., Jr., & Cheng-Levine, J. (Eds.). (2007). Reformation: Teaching in an

electronic environment. Tamshui, Taiwan: Tamkang University Press.

Article or chapter in an edited book or an anthology. Remember to double space the

entry.

Johnson, J. (2008). Segregation and discrimination in higher education. In R. J. Bratt, M.

Stone, & J. Johnson (Eds.). A right to education: Foundation for democracy (pp.

61-80). Philadelphia, PA: Temple University Press.

Article in an online journal or magazine: When citing an online source, include

publication information as for a print periodical and add information about the online

version. Online publications sometimes include a DOI (digital object identifier). When

available, use DOI in place of a URL. Use a retrieval date for an online source only if the

content is likely to change. Remember to double space your entries in your References

page.

Ashmore, D., & McCutcheon, A. (2002). Shyness, loneliness, and undue curiosity toward

celebrities. Research in Social Psychology, 6, 122-124. Retrieved from

http://www.uiowa.edu/~psychology/crisp/crisp.html

McKibben, J. (2009, September). The great disappointment in the new healthcare

overhaul. The Atlantic, 203 (2). Retrieved from http://www.theatlantic.com/

Whitmeyer, J. (2009). Universal healthcare: Realistic path to a healthier nation. Social

Science Researchers’ Network, 29, 435-445. doi:10.1005/ssre.2000.0680

Article from a database. Start with the publication information for the source as for a

print one. If a DOI is provided, use that number and do not provide the database name. If

there is no DOI, include the URL for the home page of the journal.

Levine, M., & McLeod, K. (2007). Childhood obesity and national debt. Journal of

Experimental Child Psychology, 101, 21-59. doi: 10.1010/jecp.2008.05.007.

Levine, M., & McLeod, K. (2007). Childhood obesity and national debt. Journal of

Experimental Child Psychology, 101, 21-59., Retrieved from

http://jsn.sagepub.com/

Source from a web site. Include as much information as provided. Add Retrieved from

at the end. Notice the title of the document is in italics. Remember to double space the

entry.

Cain, A., & Burns, C. A. (1998, May). The future of mobile phones. Retrieved from

http://www.slater.com/mobile_phone_text.htm

Document from a university web site or government agency. Name the organization

in your retrieval statement. Notice the title of the document is in italics. Remember to

double space the entry.

Matzen, R. Jr. (2010). The mission and goals of the academic writing program. Retrieved

from Woodbury University, Center for Teaching Excellence website:

http://www.woodbury.edu/cte/writing.html

Podcast. Name the organization as producer. Follow it with the date of posting. Podcast

title. Description label in brackets. The Series title in italics, if any. And then, Retrieved

from. Remember to double space the entry.

Technology, Entertainment, and Design (Producer). (2010, June 15). New findings in

global climate change: How do we go from here? [Video podcast]. The climate

change podcast. Retrieved from hppt://www.ted.com/climatechageproject/

podcasts/

Online audio or video file. Give the medium or a description of the source file in

brackets following the title.

Zakaria, F. (Host), & McCullough, C. (Writer). (2009, March 6). Talk of the nation: Is

global warming real? [Video file]. Retrieved from http://www.npr.org/

talkofthenation

Entry in a wkik. Begin with the title of the entry and the date of posting, if available; if

not, use “n.d.” for “no date.” Then add your retrieval date, the name of the wiki, and the

URL for the wiki.

Ethnomethodology. (n.d.) Retrieved August 23, 2010, from http://www.wikipedia.com

Film, video, or TV program. Give the director, producer, and other relevant

contributors, followed by the year of the film’s release, the title, the description in

brackets, the country, and the studio. Remember to double space the entries.

Pratt, C. (Executive producer). (2008, October 5). Face the nation [Television broadcast].

Washington, DC: CBS News.

Guggenheim, D. (Director), & Bender, L. (Producer). (2006). An inconvenient truth

[DVD]. United States: Paramount Home Entertainment.

Spurlock, M. (Director). (2004). Super size me [Motion picture]. Available from IDP

Films, 1333 Broadway, Suite 926, New York, NY 10010

Where to find more information on APA that is not covered here

Purdue University’s Online Writing Lab (OWL):

o For general guidelines: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/01/

o For a sample APA paper: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/18/

o For a powerpoint: http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/560/17/

Diana Hacker’s Website: http://www.dianahacker.com/

o Click on Learn More about 2010 APA. Download the 2010 APA supplement.

This is one of the most comprehensive and easiest to follow documents for

students.